Cheap car rental Benin - Traffic Safety and Road Conditions

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Traffic Safety and Road Conditions

TRAFFIC SAFETY AND ROAD CONDITIONS: While in a foreign country, U.S. citizens may encounter road conditions that differ significantly from those in the United States. The information below concerning Benin is provided for general reference only, and may not be totally accurate in a particular location or circumstance:

Safety of Public Transportation: Poor
Urban Road Conditions/Maintenance: Poor
Rural Road Conditions/Maintenance: Poor
Availability of Roadside Assistance: Poor

With the exception of the road linking Cotonou in the south to Malanville on the border with Niger in the north, and from Parakou in central Benin to Natitingou in the northwestern part of the country, roads in Benin are generally in poor condition and are often impassable during the rainy season. Benin's unpaved roads vary widely in quality. Deep sand and/or ditches are common. During the rainy season from mid-June to mid-September, dirt roads often become impassable. Four-wheel drive vehicles with full spare tires and emergency equipment are recommended. Most of the main streets in Cotonou are paved, but side streets often consist of deeply potholed dirt.

Cotonou has no public transportation system. Most Beninese rely on bicycles, mopeds, motorbikes, and “zemidjans,” which are moped taxis. All official Americans are required to wear safety helmets when on a motorcycle and are strongly discouraged from using zemidjans. Buses and bush taxis offer service in country. Traffic moves on the right, as in the United States.

Gasoline smuggled from Nigeria is widely sold in glass bottles and jugs at informal roadside stands throughout Cotonou and much of the country. This gasoline is of unreliable quality, often containing water or other contaminants that can damage or disable your vehicle. Drivers should purchase fuel only from official service stations.

U.S. citizens traveling by road should exercise extreme caution. Poorly maintained, overloaded transport and cargo vehicles frequently break down and cause accidents. Undisciplined drivers render traffic movements unpredictable. Construction work is often poorly indicated. Speed bumps - commonly used on paved roads in and near villages - are seldom indicated. Nighttime driving is particularly hazardous as vehicles frequently lack headlights and/or taillights. With few exceptions, Cotonou and other cities lack any street lighting. There have been occasional carjackings, robberies and murders on rural roads in Benin at night and the U.S. Embassy in Cotonou prohibits non-essential travel on such roads after dusk by official Americans and strongly urges all U.S. citizens to avoid night driving as well.

For additional general information about road safety, including links to foreign government sites, see the Department of State, Bureau of Consular Affairs home page at http://travel.state.gov/road-safety.html .